Use of mosquito nets is one of the most important means for protection against vector born diseases. Accordingly, there is an ongoing effort for improving the efficiency and durability of nets, especially of nets to be used in rural areas, where supply of new nets is limited and there is a tendency to use acquired nets for a long time.
One means to improve the durability of nets is a border or skirt at the lower edge of the nets protecting the nets against wear. Such border is made of a stronger material, for example a fabric. The height of the border, typically, varies between 10 cm and 25 cm. In addition, the WHO has adopted the requirement that a Long Lasting Insecticidal Net should last for at least 20 washes and still show sufficient insecticidal activity. However, as has turned out, often, not the wash resistance is the limiting factor but the general long term use of the nets, where the insecticidal effect is reduced with time. Thus, there is a general need for improvement in the art.
Often such improvements are performed in countries other than the countries where the nets are used. For the developer, this is a challenging task, because the way of living in the countries of the developers may be substantially different from the way of living in the countries, where the nets, finally, are used. Often, this implies that the product is not optimised for the customers, and only close study of the behaviour of the customers can reveal the required optimal aspects of a product. In connection with the invention, as explained in the following, such close, behavioural studies have been performed in order to improve insecticidal products, primarily mosquito nets.